No free man shall be taken or imprisoned or dispossessed or outlawed or exiled, or in any way destroyed, nor will we go upon him, nor will we send against him except by the lawful judgment of his peers or by the law of the land.

Written laws are like spiderwebs: they will catch, it is true, the weak and poor but would be torn in pieces by the rich and powerful.

The Revolution is made by man, but man must forge his revolutionary spirit from day to day.

You have all the characteristics of a popular politician: a horrible voice, bad breeding, and a vulgar manner.

It is impossible to tell which of the two dispositions we find in men is more harmful in a republic, that which seeks to maintain an established position or that which has none but seeks to acquire it.

I am no courtesan, nor moderator, nor tribune, nor defender of the people: I am myself the people.

All the ills of democracy can be cured by more democracy.

A real leader is somebody who can help us overcome the limitations of our own individual laziness and selfishness and weakness and fear and get us to do better, harder things than we can get ourselves to do on our own.

I work for a government I despise for ends I think criminal.

I’m president of the United States, and I’m not going to eat any more broccoli!

To be turned from one’s course by men’s opinions, by blame, and by misrepresentation shows a man unfit to hold office.

Politics, n. A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage.

The best of all rulers is but a shadowy presence to his subjects.